In comparison to Caldera, which was heavily criticized prior to the addition of things like the redeployment balloons, Al Mazrah has been well received by the community. Not only does it have a few interesting cities for players to explore, as well as memorable points of interest like some caves, but it provides a desert setting that is completely fresh for Call of Duty: Warzone. Whenever the next map arrives, it should continue to prioritize variety by taking players to a snowy locale.
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Call of Duty: Warzone’s Maps Have Covered Every Environment But a Snowy One
The beloved map that kicked off Call of Duty: Warzone, Verdansk was the closest players came to exploring a snowy environment in the battle royale title. The dam at the top of the map offered some snow, which made for a nice visual change whenever it was visited, but a vast majority of the map offered clear weather and grassy areas untouched by the snow. Ever since then, the climate in Warzone maps has only gotten warmer.
The two small maps that have been featured in Call of Duty: Warzone, Rebirth Island and Fortune’s Keep, both offer clean environments with no snow in sight. The industrial setting of the former ensures players are constantly battling in and around buildings that are unaffeced by the weather, while Fortune’s Keep is a gorgeous villa with a sunny skybox. The goal with Fortune’s Keep was to create a visually stunning arena, so it was the furthest thing from a bleak and snowy setting.
Caldera and Al Mazrah are two more maps that avoid cold weather completely. With Caldera being a massive Pacific island covered in jungles and a volcano, it would make little sense to encounter any snow on the map. Al Mazrah dials the heat up to 11 with its desert setting, and even though the Middle East-focused map will likely get plenty of updates as time goes on, it is hard to imagine snow sweeping into the sandy play space.
Something like the Ural Mountains of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which was supposedly meant to be a battle royale map in its own right, would be perfect for a snowy setting. Players could traverse through snowy forests, battle around some ski slopes and lodges, or explore a resort. The architecture of the Ural Mountains maps was great, so borrowing from that content would be an ideal approach for the next Warzone map to take. Snowmobiles could be included as a new vehicle type as well, and icy water could be a proper mechanic, with players able to break it and swim under the ice for a tactical advantage.
With the first two Call of Duty: Warzone games covering every other type of weather, from tropical settings to desert ones, a winter setting seems like a natural next step. Eventually, there will need to be multiple desert maps or numerous islands, but Activision and Call of Duty’s development studios should focus on fully unique settings for as long as possible. Right now, a snow-covered map is the easiest way to deliver a fresh location to play in.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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